FreeCol For Linux

FreeCol is an open source, multiplatform and freely distributed graphical video game that aims to provide a perfect replica of the commercial Sid Meier's Colonization game, which was released in 1994. However, the gameplay is very similar to the Civilization game. In other words, FreeCol is a turn-based strategy (TBS) game where the player needs to build an independent nation and conquer the New World.

Being written in Java, the game requires no installation, so all you have to do to get started, is to download the latest release from either the project’s official website (see the homepage link at the end of the article) or from Softpedia, save the archive on your Home directory and unpack it.

Open the extracted directory and double click on the FreeCol.jar file. Alternatively, if the game doesn’t start, open a terminal emulator, go to the location where you’ve extracted the archive file (e.g. cd /home/softpedia/freecol) and run the ‘java -jar FreeCol.jar’ command.

FreeCol is a cross-platform game that runs well on all Linux distributions, as well as any other computer OSes where the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is supported, including the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems.

Taking a look under the hood of the FreeCol project, we can notice that it has been written entirely in the Java programming language and use the JavaSwing technology for the graphical user interface. The software is compatible with both 32 and 64-bit computer platforms, and translated into several langauges.

Install the FreeCol game today and see if you can lead your nation and achieve the ultimate goal: colonize the New World! The game received Editor’s Pick award from Softpedia, as well as a “Project of the Month” award in February 2007 from the SourceForge website.